Obituary: Donald L. Clift, 1939-2020

Donald L. Clift, 81, died December 23, 2020, in Cottonwood, Arizona and was a resident of Camp Verde. He was born in Huntley, Montana, on June 14, 1939 to Richard P. Clift and Edintha Armitage Clift.

He attended school in Riverton, Wyoming and then joined the Air Force in 1956. He was proud to serve his country.

On July 11, 1958, he married the love of his life, Mary Jo Hedglin, in Riverton, Wyoming. Their marriage lasted 48 years and was only cut short by her untimely death in 2006. The marriage was blessed with a daughter, Dawnne, in 1959 and a son, Craig, in 1960.

The family moved to Sidney, Nebraska in 1965 and then Don and Mary Jo moved to Camp Verde in 1991. Don loved his family most of all; he was so proud of his family and talked about them to everyone who would listen. He had a very outgoing personality and he loved to talk to everyone he met. He looked for the good side of everyone first. He touched many lives in his lifetime and left a lasting impact on everyone he met. He loved collecting and restoring old cars, and everything related to old cars.

In his younger years, he loved to draw. Don’s philosophy was: “Friendship is difficult, there are so many people dependent on you. But I’d rather trust someone and be wrong than not to have taken the risk. I can deal with that. What I don’t want is not to have trusted the person I should have, to let them down. If I trust someone and they betray that trust, that’s on their conscience, not mine.”

Don leaves behind his daughter, Dawnne Linenbrink of Junction City, OR; son, Craig Clift of Forest Grove, OR; sister, Charlene Humphrey of Billings, MT; brother, Billy Clift of Lincoln, CA; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his lifetime best friend, Cap Hartman of Riverton, WY.

No public services are planned due to COVID related restrictions. Our special thanks to the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System, Northern Arizona Hospice (Ashley, Chris, Grace, Laurel, and all who helped Don) and to the Valley View Care staff who made his last days comfortable and serene.

Donations to Valley View Care, 421 N. Willard St., Cottonwood, AZ 86326, would be used to help provide hospice care for those who lack the financial resources or support to stay in their own homes.

An online guestbook is available to sign at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.

Information provided by family.